VIENNA DAY ???
I'm not entirely sure how long I have been in Vienna now, but surely quite some time. And I have gone this long without updating my livejournal. I don't know how you all are sure of my continued existence. Maybe you're not. Anyway, for better or for worse, I continue to exist.
I flew into Vienna with no glitches, and was met at the airport by Alex and her mother's friend Alba, with whom we are staying. We drove back to Alba's house, and I was met with the fact that Alba is INTENSELY generous. She basically gives us the entire world. It's amazing. It was late; so Alex and I promptly went to sleep, but not without first listening to Alba talk for about an hour. Another thing that Alba is is a talker. And a smoker. But more on that later.
The next day Alex and I went out to explore Vienna. We went to the Schonbrunn Palace, which is spectacular, and hung around the city center. There really isn't all that much to do in Vienna. Alex and I had this conversation a while ago, but Vienna is kind of a 'city that was'. It was horribly bombed in WWII, destroying a lot of the beauty and grandeur that personified it in the 18th century. It's really sad. When one thinks of Vienna, one thinks of glamorous waltzes, kings and queens dancing at ornate balls in the palace--but it is not that way anymore. It is more a city of nondescript cement buildings, with the odd palace that had the good fortune to survive the war still standing in random parts of the city. The one thing that does give the visitor a reminder of what the city used to be is the Stephansdom, a beautiful, beautiful church located in the city center. This is the miracle of Vienna, I have NO IDEA how it managed to not be bombed in the war. Not that people didn't try--there are massive bulletholes in the side of the church, including one 5 times the size of the others, the story of which I really want to know.
So that's essentially Vienna. Now on to Salzburg.
Alex and I went to Salzburg on Friday, and were expecting it to be very different from Vienna, in that it was a small town, situated right at the bottom of the Alps, with a tourism industry centered on Mozart and The Sound of Music. When we got there, we were blown away. Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It met every expectation I had of it, and went further. We went on the Sound of Music tour, which took us up into the suburbs of the city in the Alps, and it provided spectacular views of the lakes and little cities surrounding Salzburg. I also took pictures of everywhere The Sound of Music was filmed, and was TOTALLY excited about that, as I'm sure you can imagine. I was in hog heaven. Our tour guide sucked, but the tour itself was awesome.
We are now back in Vienna, and I'm hungry. More later.
I flew into Vienna with no glitches, and was met at the airport by Alex and her mother's friend Alba, with whom we are staying. We drove back to Alba's house, and I was met with the fact that Alba is INTENSELY generous. She basically gives us the entire world. It's amazing. It was late; so Alex and I promptly went to sleep, but not without first listening to Alba talk for about an hour. Another thing that Alba is is a talker. And a smoker. But more on that later.
The next day Alex and I went out to explore Vienna. We went to the Schonbrunn Palace, which is spectacular, and hung around the city center. There really isn't all that much to do in Vienna. Alex and I had this conversation a while ago, but Vienna is kind of a 'city that was'. It was horribly bombed in WWII, destroying a lot of the beauty and grandeur that personified it in the 18th century. It's really sad. When one thinks of Vienna, one thinks of glamorous waltzes, kings and queens dancing at ornate balls in the palace--but it is not that way anymore. It is more a city of nondescript cement buildings, with the odd palace that had the good fortune to survive the war still standing in random parts of the city. The one thing that does give the visitor a reminder of what the city used to be is the Stephansdom, a beautiful, beautiful church located in the city center. This is the miracle of Vienna, I have NO IDEA how it managed to not be bombed in the war. Not that people didn't try--there are massive bulletholes in the side of the church, including one 5 times the size of the others, the story of which I really want to know.
So that's essentially Vienna. Now on to Salzburg.
Alex and I went to Salzburg on Friday, and were expecting it to be very different from Vienna, in that it was a small town, situated right at the bottom of the Alps, with a tourism industry centered on Mozart and The Sound of Music. When we got there, we were blown away. Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It met every expectation I had of it, and went further. We went on the Sound of Music tour, which took us up into the suburbs of the city in the Alps, and it provided spectacular views of the lakes and little cities surrounding Salzburg. I also took pictures of everywhere The Sound of Music was filmed, and was TOTALLY excited about that, as I'm sure you can imagine. I was in hog heaven. Our tour guide sucked, but the tour itself was awesome.
We are now back in Vienna, and I'm hungry. More later.